Monday, October 14, 2013

Military Monday - James P Brown in the Liberty Guards

James’ father, Edward S Brown, died when he was a boy. In 1860 James was living in Liberty, Amite, MS with his mother, older brother and his brother’s wife. James was just sixteen. The following year he enlisted in the Liberty Guards.

Private James P Brown was mustered into service in Sam Nix’s Liberty Guards on 29 April 1861 in Liberty, MS.

Co E, 22nd Reg., MS Infantry

This company was
organized April 25, 1861, and mustered into the State service the same day for
12 months. When a call was made for troops for the war by the President this
company was tendered to the Governor of the State as an independent company and
was transferred by him to the Confederate service for the war on July 23, 1861.[from fold3]

Dunbar
Rowland’s "Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898 gives the following information on
the Regiment:

1861. The men were first gathered at Camp Iuka, MS. On September
23 the regiment reported to General Polk at Columbus, Ky., where they remained
until after the battle of Belmont, November 7, of which they were spectators,
without being called into action. After this they were ordered to Union City,
Tenn., and thence marched to Fulton, Ky., the night of October 1. October 6
they went into winter quarters at Camp Beauregard, in Graves County, Ky., and
remained there until Christmas, making several expeditions to Mayfield and
Columbus, and once marching in the night to within six or eight miles of
Paducah. After Christmas they were moved to Clarksville, and thence to Bowling
Green, December 29, where they were in winter quarters.

1862. The regiment was
about 580 strong in January and was brigaded with the Twenty-fifth Mississippi
under Bowen. February they were at Nashville the day of battle at Fort Donelson
and could hear the artillery.

They reached their old camp at Iuka in March, and after the
Federal gunboats appeared on the river below Pittsburg Landing the regiment,
under Colonel Schaller, engaged in frequent movements to Eastport. March 26
Schaller reported that his artillery had disabled the gunboat Lexington on the
previous day, but he was removing the artillery by order of General Crittenden
and would evacuate Eastport that day.

The regiment served in the lines around Corinth during Halleck's
siege and participated in the engagement at Farmington, April 27. Upon the
evacuation of Corinth, May 29, the Twenty-second and Fifth Kentucky were
detailed as rear guard for the left wing and remained on the banks of the
Tuscumbia south of Corinth until the evening of June 1, engaged in almost
uninterrupted fire with the Federal pickets. Couriers sent to order them back
failed to reach them, and they made a night march to Baldwin, June 1, through a
country occupied by the Federal outposts, and rejoined the army. They moved
from Baldwin to Tupelo, encamped at Kunewa June 12-22, suffering terribly for
water, and then joined in the movement of Breckinridge's command to Vicksburg,
where they were encamped at Bovina and at Four Mile bridge, picketed the river
below the city, engaged in the attempt to surprise the Federal fort eight or
ten miles below the city and capture the mortar boats. Being discovered in this
movement they were exposed for some hours to a heavy fire from the fleet,
including the Brooklyn, and there were several casualties, mainly from falling
timber. This service in July, in intense heat, disabled a considerable part of
the command. They were witnesses of the naval battle of the ram Arkansas.

July 29 they left Vicksburg under the command of General
Breckenridge, and moved to Camp Moore, La., whence they marched to the attack
on the Federal force at Baton Rouge. The Twenty-second; greatly reduced in
numbers, was commanded in the battle of August 5 by Capt. Felix Hughes, who
received a mortal wound at the head of his men leading the brigade in a gallant
attack. The casualties of the regiment were: 13 killed and 34 wounded.

James was killed 5 August 1862, in
the action at Baton Rouge, LA. at the age of eighteen.

3 comments:

Very interesting reading. AND your post helped me answer a small question about one of my ancestors who I blogged about earlier this week. I'm just a beginning family historian blogger. In researching one of my 2nd great grandfathers, John Erwin, I'd encountered a new-to-me 3rd cousin once removed who told me that John's brothers also fought in the Civil War, two of them dying there (William in AL & Eli at Shiloh). Then I found Eli's/Elias' muster records on Fold3.com which showed he didn't die at Shiloh, although he was wounded badly. In fact, it looked like he was discharged around Corinth (before the "battle of"). I was pretty sure it would say died or killed if he had been. And your record tells me my presumption was right. But, since Eli never made it home - it looks like he died of the wounds incurred at Shiloh on the way home. [I put the muster record up on my blog: http://jahcmft.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-tragic-family-mystery.html)

It's always a good idea to read about what a certain regiment did to fill out the story of an ancestor. Yours is particularly interesting since you know how it all ended -- sadly. And only 18. Imagine!

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